Bacteriostatic Cabin filters

Protects you from bacteria and germs! Can't beat that with a stick.

 

Kind of hard to read.
But to that link the literature seems to say it's a 3 layer filter with the 1st layer being described as "Protects against viruses, germs, allergens, bacteria and mold."
But I can't see exactly what that layer is suppose to be infiltrated with to give it these protective properties. Plus how vague a term is "Protects Against"?
Couldn't you say any and all "filters" are at some level protecting against these things by very virtue of being a filter?
Further they claim lab tests showing that after 24 hours 99% of bacteria, viruses, and mold are "deactivated" to prevent further growth. But again no specifics as to what chemical agent or action is providing this benefit.
How would this stack up against ANY filter after 24 hours?

We know how a Carbon Layer, helps remove odors, but the bacterial and virus protection layer isn't explained other than from a this is a the results viewpoint.
I'd like to know exactly what it is that makes this filter different, and maybe what it is that 1st layer has or is impregnated with, that makes it a benefit above other products NOT making the same claims.

 

I can't read the info well enough to tell if this is actually any different than any other filter, or if it just has a jazzy write up.

 

There are soild-phase particles that work well against those small things, but in this and most air filtration settings, they would not work well. Problem is contact time. A parcel of air passing through spends probably a few milliseconds in the kill zone. Not long enough. For the same reason, adding UV light to the airflow path won't finish them off.

Absolute particle removal down to virus size is doable, but not with surface area of your cabin air filter box.

Here's a very expensive membrane, 15 inch square, through which you could push 3 liters per minute with some effort.

Silver Membranes - Membrane Disc Filters | Sterlitech

I reckon 30 liters per minute might be a reasonable cabin airflow.

 

Quick search shows several different brands say they prevent germies...I did not really look at any of them, but I did see one was talking about copper and silver.

 

Tesla has Biodefense Mode - Why can't the Prius?

 

Is Tesla's 'biodefense' thingy just a HEPA filter, or have they got anything else going on?

Some trims and years of Gen 3 Prius had Sharp's Plasmacluster ion thingy, which has been touted (back in 2004!) for its effectiveness against a spiky virus.

But a paper not published by Sharp came out in PubMed, not showing much effectiveness, in 2012, which might have been about the year Toyota stopped including it in the Gen 3 refresh.

 

you can't really get a virus driving outdoors. if you driving through a crowded supermarket, it might be worth some effort

 

They touted it for general effectiveness against viruses, bacteria, and allergens. The PubMed article that was critical was testing on bacteria: Staph aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus cereus, Enterococcus faecalis.

 

I prefer to drive through markets early in the morning, when the displays are full and crowds are still small. though I do keep getting nasty-grams from the farmers market.

 

9 posts into the thread....

I have young grandchildren.
During OPs Normal this means that I hug and kiss everyone in the county by proxy.

I can take the cabin air filter OUT of my car and bomb around with the windows open and it will STILL be the safest place I spend any significant time in as far as bugs are concerned!

 

"Is Tesla's 'biodefense' thingy just a HEPA filter?" @8

Implementing real HEPA. at >20 liters/minute. in a small box is by no means trivial. I would not quickly suppose that it has been done by Tesla or any others.

HEPA filtration, thousands of liters/minute is (pretty much) implemented in commercial pax jets. They use Big boxes.

 

A BEV does have more space for it than any car with an ICE.